How To Become A Medical Scribe

There are few regulations across the US in terms of Medical scribe qualifications. In most states, you can become a medical scribe with just a high school diploma. However, there are many different training programs and certifications you can acquire to show employers you are well-prepared for the job.

What You Need to Know to Become a Medical Scribe

There is a growing demand for medical scribes, and for good reason. They help with the efficiency and accuracy of data and records of patients.

Following the strict implementation of electronic health record (EHR) systems for recording patients’ medical data, clinics, hospitals and private practices all have a great need for medical scribes.

To pursue a career in medical scribing and to have an idea of the basic skills, a person interested in this job must be willing to learn and grow in the medical field, build great listening and communication skills and have a good understanding of technology.

Here are some of the frequently asked questions and everything you need to know about being a medical scribe.

What is a Medical Scribe?

Medical scribes are those who document all physician and patient interactions from the start of treatment until it ends. Part of the responsibility of this job is to transcribe all the written information of a patient to the database so that the attending physician can focus on treatment. At the same time, the scribe does all the paperwork.

Additionally, a scribe works for the physician to communicate with the other departments if a patient needs to undergo medical procedures such as X-rays, CT scans, blood testing and urine testing. A scribe has to monitor these for an efficient system in the clinic or hospital.

Although it is not a requirement for medical students, some who are studying pre-med apply for a job like this to gain experience. The money they earn can help pay off loans or save money for medical school. For students, getting this job can also help with their recommendations when applying for medical school.

How to Become a Medical Scribe

If you are an aspiring medical scribe, the minimum requirement to pass and apply for the position is a high school diploma.

However, it is highly recommended for someone to have vast knowledge in the medical field or to be taking a pre-med/medical-related course as part of an undergraduate or graduate degree.

Here are the basic skills anyone should have if they want to become a medical scribe:

• Multi-tasking: The medical scribe needs to listen well during treatment and be able to write the information collected at the same time. Having the ability to multitask is an important skill to have in this field.
• Computer skills: All the information collected needs to be written down and encoded in the computer; thus, basic computer skills are a must. A scribe needs to know how to work on MS Office applications.
• Typing skills: In addition to knowing how to operate a computer, encoding the information collected from the patient is crucial. Typing 45-60 words per minute is highly recommended.
• EMR software skills: Knowing how to use any electronic medical recording/ and electronic health recording software is a requirement since it will be used by the physician to keep a patient’s records.

What Makes a Medical Scribe Role Unique?

Medical scribes take notes of each interaction with the physician and the patient. A medical transcriptionist, on the other hand, writes down information fed to them via dictation. Medical transcription work can be done remotely, just by having a voice recording of a physician.

Unlike nurses, medical scribes or medical transcriptionists do not have any physical contact with patients, handle bodily fluids or give medical advice. A nurse is involved more hands-on with the patient, while scribes and transcriptionists work behind the scenes.

Additionally, nurses have formal training in the medical field while scribes do not.

What is a Typical Career Path for a Medical Scribe?

If a person wants to pursue a career as a medical scribe, there is a lot of room to grow in this field.

A person can start off as a part-time worker, working a few shifts a week. For medical students, this is often the best course of action. Shifts are usually scheduled among other staff, and work times can run from eight up to 24 hours, depending on the patient and physician. A full-time worker, on the other hand, gets at least five shifts a week.

The medical scribes usually have the option to choose their work hours, depending on their needs or school schedule.

While this job is a training ground and somewhere to get med students’ feet wet in a medical-related field, those who plan to be a scribe full-time can have the opportunity to be a trainer or a department head, and the position can lead to other positions in a hospital or clinic.

Average Salary of a Medical Scribe

According to Glassdoor, a scribe is paid $10-15 per hour or $31,000 a year, depending on the assigned position. ER scribes, for example, can earn $35,000 to $44,000 a year.

But that doesn’t stop aspiring medical scribes from dreaming bigger. As they continue to grow in this career, the pay often grows as well.

These prices are estimates and are based on the rates of agencies or firms that supply scribes to hospitals or clinics.

These numbers may become higher if scribes are hired directly by the hospital or clinics. On top of that, some hospitals offer health insurance and other benefits when hired.

The Risks of Becoming a Medical Scribe

Just like any job working in the hospital or a clinic, the position of being a medical scribe has risks, like fatigue when staying up for night shifts, possible fainting due to the sight of blood or catching viruses such as coronavirus, tuberculosis or meningitis, due to interaction with infected patients.

Even so, for those with a passion for the medical field, becoming a medical scribe could be the best way to begin a career.

How to Become a Medical Scribe

If you’re passionate about healthcare, you should know that there are various paths you can take to work in the field aside from becoming a doctor or nurse. There are many moving parts to our healthcare system, and each position is an important cog in the grand machine that keeps our population alive and well. For instance: medical scribes.

If you enjoy writing and are looking for experience in the healthcare field, becoming a medical scribe may be the right call for you. Here we discuss what a medical scribe does, the steps to become a medical scribe, salary, FAQs, and more.

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What is a Medical Scribe?

A medical scribe is a health paraprofessional who transcribes medical appointments in real-time. Essentially, the role of a medical scribe is to capture everything said by both a patient and a physician during an encounter. In doing so, the scribe allows the physician to focus solely on patient care without having to worry about writing everything down simultaneously.

Medical scribes also perform administrative tasks such as locating information, completing forms, and finding patients for doctors. By taking care of clerical work, doctors are free to do what they do best – assessing the health of the patient free from distraction.

The addition of a medical scribe to a healthcare setting decreases wait times, improves the overall patient experience, and dramatically improves the efficiency and accuracy of physicians. The position has been newly popularized across the US, making the need for new medical scribes increase over the last few years.

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How to Become a Medical Scribe

Good news! Becoming a medical scribe is actually quite easy and requires little time or training. In fact, all you technically need to apply for a position as a medical scribe is a high school diploma. Because of this, many premed students choose to become medical scribes to gain experience in a healthcare environment.

That said, each hospital has its own requirements for hiring a medical scribe – so a high school diploma may not always cut it. Here are a few things you can do to increase your eligibility for medical scribe positions:

Take a Medical Scribe Course

There are many medical scribe courses hosted both online and in-person throughout the US and Canada, such as the one offered by the Medical Scribes Training Institute. There are also several colleges that provide medical scribe courses, such as the following:

• William Paterson University offers an online medical scribe course (6 months) ending in medical scribe certification. The program teaches critical skills such as medical terminology, medical coding, and more.
• The Allegany College of Maryland offers an in-person Medical Scribe Specialist certificate in which students learn important skills such as medical terminology, gathering test results, and more. The program consists of nine courses and an 80-hour practicum experience.
• Centralia College provides a medical scribe training program (9 months) which ends in certification to students who have successfully completed all 12 courses within the program.

While these courses are all excellent options, they are not the only ones out there! There are many different courses you can take to become a medical scribe. If you can not find one that suits your needs, taking courses on human anatomy, typing, or biology would help you to learn important skills that will look good on your CV.

Take a Medical Scribe Certification Exam

If you decide to take a medical scribe course, you may have already obtained certification at the end of the program. However, if you choose to “skip to the end” or feel you do not need to take a course, you can simply take a medical scribe certification exam.

The Medical Scribe Certification Exam (MSCE) is offered by the American Healthcare Documentation Professionals Group. The exam consists of 100 questions and costs $165 to take.. To pass the MSCE you must score at least an 80%. The MSCE is not required by most hospitals in order to be a medical scribe, but it can help improve your applicant profile.

Why Should You Become a Medical Scribe as a Premed?

Becoming a medical scribe is an excellent opportunity for premeds to gain valuable in-person experience in the medical field. Additionally, you’ll be paid while doing so! In fact, becoming a medical scribe may be one of the best premed job options out there.

Medical scribes have only increased in popularity over the past few years, so there are plenty of available positions out there. Not only will you be helping improve the efficiency and accuracy of the healthcare environment, you’ll be one step closer to gaining acceptance to a medical school.

Ultimately, having experience as a medical scribe looks excellent on a medical school CV. There’s also no training requirement, so obtaining a position will not take away too much time from your busy premed schedule. Our question is, why wouldn’t you become a medical scribe?

Medical Scribe Salary

The average medical scribe salary in the US is $37,012 per year or $15.89 per hour, according to Indeed job reports. The highest paying cities for medical scribes are as follows:

Indeed also reports that the highest paying state for medical scribes overall is West Virginia, and the top companies are the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and Olympia Orthopaedic Associates.

FAQs: Becoming a Medical Scribe

Here are our answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about how to become a medical scribe.

1. Is It Hard To Be A Medical Scribe?

Becoming a medical scribe is relatively easy as it requires little to no training. However, the job itself can be draining, depending on your work environment. Former medical scribe Morgan Carter explained the position as transformative and insightful. She goes on to say:

“Working in a busy clinic or health care setting can be demanding, both in time and energy, but if you stay persistent, humble, reliable, and show kindness to everyone, you will succeed in becoming an invaluable member of the medical team.”

2. Is Being A Medical Scribe Worth It?

Becoming a medical scribe does not take very long and provides valuable experience in a medical setting. For premed students, becoming a medical scribe is absolutely worth the effort. That is, as long as you enjoy typing and clerical work.

3. What Makes You Qualified to be a Medical Scribe?

There are few regulations across the US in terms of Medical scribe qualifications. In most states, you can become a medical scribe with just a high school diploma. However, there are many different training programs and certifications you can acquire to show employers you are well-prepared for the job.

4. How Long Does it Take to Become a Medical Scribe?

The level of training to become a medical scribe varies between programs and jobs. If you choose to take a medical scribe training program, it may take up to nine months to complete your courses and obtain certification. However, certification is not always required, so you may apply to medical scribe jobs with just a high school diploma and train on the job.

Final Thoughts

Becoming a medical scribe is an excellent job opportunity for premed students who want to gain experience in the healthcare field before medical school. The job not only provides valuable insight into the day-to-day responsibilities of physicians, but it also pays you while doing so! Additionally, little training is required to apply for a position.

If you’re considering applying to become a medical scribe, consider taking a course and/or obtaining a certificate to improve your chances of getting the job. Taking a course will also help you understand what to expect as a medical scribe and allow you the opportunity to decide if it’s right for you before signing up for a job.